Letters: Pfizer Direct guarantees no risk of drug shortages

Your article 'Drug shortage looms as price change hits supply' (GP, 24 October) indicates that wholesalers are likely to run down their branded medicines stock due to the forthcoming price cut. This raises questions of the potential risk of out-of-stock situations occurring with medicines in the UK.

Under Pfizer's Direct to Pharmacy distribution arrangement this risk does not exist. We wish to reassure GPs and pharmacists that there will be no supply issues for Pfizer medicines due to these price changes.

Our distribution arrangement allows Pfizer to maintain continuous supply of our medicines on a day-to-day basis direct to those dispensers who choose to order through this route.

The success of this scheme has been proven, with order fulfilment rates for Pfizer medicines exceptionally high: more than 99 per cent of all orders have been delivered on time, in full.

If readers have any questions on our distribution they should contact our Customer Contact Centre on 0845 608 88 66.